Wagon-jack.



V PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1-903. J. HERITAGE.

WAGON JACK. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII APR.27 1903.

v N 0 M 0 D E L l l 2 s H B E T S g H E E T 1 r I PATEN'TED sfirrbsplsosj LHERITAGE. I l

WAGON J AGK. APPLIOATION mum APR. 27, I903.

no monim.

m: cams PETERS 05.. Punn'ouma, wAsmnsTuN. D c.

I No. t 38,682.

UNITED "STATES:

Patented September 8, 1903.1:

PATENT OFFICE;

JosnPn HERITAGE, or SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

WAGON-JACK.

sPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,682, dated September 8, 1903. Application filed April 27 was; Serial No. 154,414. (No model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osnrrr HERITAGE, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Somerville, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Wagon-Jacks, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like fignres on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to wagon-j acks which I are adapted to raise bodily the entire wagonbody. Jacks of this class have heretofore been constructed with a base and top rails I which were pivotally connected together by means of links, so that by swinging the links about their pivotal point of connection-with the base the-top rails could be raised and the wagon-body lifted thereon.

vertical movement of; the top rails it is neces sary to have the links comparatively long, and when they are made in this way the amount of power which'can be developed is not sufficient to raise heavy wagon-bodies because of the long lever-arm about which the top rails swing. If the said links are made comparatively short, greater power may the form of joined members, and I provide means whereby the two arms of each link. may be independently swung into their elevated. position. With this construction the upper members of the links may be first swung or turned about the joints of said j ointa ed members from their inclined or lowered position to their vertical or raised position, and subsequently the lower portions or arms of saidmembers may be similarly swung from 1 the lowered inclined position to their vertical or raised. position. With this construction two separate movements are required to completely elevate theitopl rails; but as during each movement the top rails are swung about 'With this construction, however, in order to get sufficient comparatively short lever arms a much greater weight can be lifted than if the entire movement of the top rails was about a single long lever-arm. The means I have employed for giving these two separate lifting movements to the top rails comprises a double toggle-lever arrangement, the straightening of the first toggle-lever operating to give the top rails their first movement, and the operation of the second lever operating to give the said rails their final movement.

The details of construction will be more particularly hereinafter described on reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved wagon-jack in its lowered position. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the jack in its partially raised position, the completely raised position being shown in the dotted lines; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line at as, Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale.

The base of the jack comprises the two stringers or rails .3, which are suitably connected together at proper intervals by crosstie members. I

5 designates the top rails, which in oper ation extend underneath the axles of the wagon-body to be lifted and on which said 'body rests.

Instead of the usual one-piece connecting member or link between the top rails and the base I have provided jointed connecting members, each comprising the two arms 6 and 7, which are pivotally connected together and also pivotally connected to the top and bottom rails, respectively. Any number of such j ointed connecting members may be employed,and theyflmay have any suitable arrangement. I prefer, however, to arrange them in pairs, as shown in Fig. 1, and to place one pair at one end of the j aok and another pair substantially centrally of the jack. The two pairs of jointed members are connected together by connecting-rods 8, which connect the joint of one member to that of the other. I preferably employ a hinge-rod 9 for each pair of members, said rod extending through bothmembers of each pair and pivotally connecting them together. The connecting-rods 8 can conveniently connect one rod 9 with the other.

If desired, I may provide the cross-bracing 10 to stiffen each pair of connecting members and prevent the jack from racking under heavy loads. omitted without departing from my invention. WVhen the top rails of the jack are lowered, the connecting members are in substantially the position shown in Fig. 1that is, in an inclined position-and with the two arms 6 and 7 of each member in substantial alinement.

From the above description it will be seen that if the arms 6 are first swung about their pivotal rods 9, so as to bring them into a vertical .position, and then the arms 7 swung about their pivotal points of connection with the rails 3, so as to bring said arms into a vertical position, the top rails will be elevated to the same extent as if the connecting members were each a single rigid one-piece link;

but by dividing the total vertical movement of the top rails into two swinging movements,

each about a comparatively short lever-arm,

, the top rails, while the arms 15 are extended beyond the pivotal point 16 to form levers or handles 17 by means of which the togglejoint may be operated. The second togglejoint comprises the levers 15, above referred to, and the levers18, said levers being pivotally connected together, as at 19, and the levers 18 being pivoted to the stringers 3 of the base. The-levers 18 are preferably extended beyond the pivotal point 19 to form handles 01' levers 20. The first-described toggle-levers 14 and 15 are connected to the upper rails by a suitable connecting-rod 21, while the second toggle-levers 15 18 are connected to the lower arms 7 of the connecting members by suitable connecting-rod 22. The rod 21 I have herein shown as connected to one of the arms 6, although this might be connected to any point on one of the upper rails 5 with the same results.

The operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing. The parts are shown in Fig. 1 in their lowered position. The first swinging movement of the top rails is accomplished by raising the lovers 17 from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the full-line position shown in Fig. 2, this operation straightening the toggle levers 14 15 and through the connecting-rod 21 swinging the top rails about the pivotal rods 9, thus bringing the arms 6 into substantially vertical position. The second elevating movement of the top rails is accomplished by swinging the levers 20 from the full-lineposition, Figs'l and 2, to the dotted-line position. This move ment straightens the second togglelever 15 This bracin however may be veaesz 18 and through the connection 22 rocks the levers 7 into a substantially vertical position, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2.

It will be noted that each of the connecting members comprises the two parts 6 and 7, forming, in effect, a toggle-lever, and I preferably so connect and arrange the parts that when the top rails are elevated into dottedline position the toggle-levers 6 and 7, as well as the double toggle-levers, have been carried slightly by their dead-centers, so that the structure is locked in its raised position and has no tendency to buckle or collapse under the weight it supports.

It will be noted that during the first swinging movement the top rails swing about a frame which comprises the base and the arms 7 and 18, while during the second movement the top rails and the arms 6 and toggle-levers 14 and 15 are substantially rigid and form the frame which is swung about the arms 7.

I will preferably provide the base with suitable casters or rollers 30, so that the jack may easily be moved from place to place, as desired.

31 designates dogs which serve to lock the jack in any desired position. These dogs are pivoted to the lower stringers, as at 32, and have noses 33, which bite into the floor or ground and lock the jack against movement. The dogs may be released by depressing the cross-bar 34 and elevating their noses from the ground.

I prefer to construct the top rails as shown in the drawings-that is, with the ofiset portion 40, so that one end of the top rails is at a slightly higher level than the other end; This form of top rail nicely accommodates the ordinary wagon, in which thefront axle is slightly lower than the rear axle, for by placing the jack beneath the wagon, so that the rear axle is engaged by the elevated portions of the top rails and the' front axle by the lowered portions, the wagon-body is placed in a horizontal position.

To accommodate those wagons in which front and rear axles are at substantially the same level, I may employ the supplemental support 4l,which is removably supported by the top rails and 011 which the front axles may rest. When this support 41 is employed, the

. dropped portion of the top rails between said support and the offset accommodates those vehicles, such as hacks, in which a portion of the body stands at a lower level than the hind axle. This dropped part of the top rails, however, could be formed by making two offsets in them, if desired, and, as I believe I am the first to provide a wagon jack in which the top rails have the central depressions or dropped portion, I do not wish'to be limited to the exact construction herein shown. I also believe that I am the first to provide the jointed connection, such as above described, between the top rails and the base, whereby the complete elevation of the top rails is accomplished by two separate swinging movements made about a comparatively short lever-arm, and therefore while I have hereinshown the best form now known tome of embodying my invention I do not wish to be limited in details of construction. Various changes may therefore .be made in the construction of the device without departing H from the spirit and scope of my invention as expressed in the appended claims.

By the term .wagon" as herein used I in-.

tend to include any form of vehicle, such as a wagon, buggy, caravan, hack, &c.

43 designates stops which may be removably applied to the top rails for the purpose of preventing the wagon-body from slipping forward as the jack is raised.

Having fullydescribed my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a wagon-jack, a base, top rails, jointed connecting members pivotally connected to the top railsand base respectively, and means to swing the two arms of the jointed members independently, whereby the top rails are given two separate elevating movements.

2. I In a wagon-jack, a base, top rails, a series of arms pivoted to the base, a second series offarms each pivoted to the corresponding .armof the first series and also to the top rails, and means to swing each series of arms about their pivots independently, whereby the toprails are given two separate elevating movements.

3. In a wagon-jack, abase, top rails, jointed membershinged to the base and top rails respectively, a doubletoggle-lever and connections between one of said toggle-levers and the upper rails, and between the other of said 1 toggle-levers and the jointed members,whereby the straightening of the first toggle-lever swings the upper portion of said jointed members into elevated. position, and the straight eningof said second toggle-lever swings the lower portion into a similar position.

4. In a wagon-jack, a base, top rails, a series of arms pivoted to the base, a second .series of arms, the arms of said second series each being pivoted to the corresponding arm of the first series and to the top rails, a lever pivoted to the base, a second lever pivoted to the first lever, a link connecting said second lever to the top rails, and connections between said levers and the arms of the two series,

whereby the first lever swings the arms of the second series about their pivots and partially raises the top rails, and the second lever swings the arms of the first series and com- 'pletely elevates the top rails.

5. In a wagon-jack, a base, top rails, a toggle-lever connecting said top rails and base at one end, a double toggle-lever connecting said top rails and base at the other end, and connecting members. between the two joints of the double toggle-lever and the top rails and joint of the single toggle-lever respectively,whereby when one portion of the double name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH HERITAGE. Witnesses:

I LoUIs C. SMITH,

GEO. W. GREGORY. 

